Intel has confirmed its 11th Gen Rocket Lake desktop processors will release during the first quarter of 2021 with PCle 4.0 on-board, further intensifying its battle against AMD.

The announcement comes just hours before the unveiling of AMD’s first Zen 3 CPUs for desktop computers.

Commentators claim Intel’s release schedule seeks to inform PC builders that new chips will be on the way early next year, in light of AMD’s high-performance chip unveiling.

It comes as both companies battle for dominance in the high-powered desktop PC market.

Whilst Intel has not offered an exact release date, Videocardz reports that the chips will release in March 2021.

The new Intel Rocket Lake-S line-up is also tipped to offer integrated Thunderbolt 4, USB4 support and cater to its new Xe graphics. The architecture complements PCle 4.0.

For those seeking upgrades, the Rocket Lake-S chips are set to be compatible with the current Intel 400 series motherboards.